A Day After a Milestone Goal, Frustration for Jagr

The Devils Forward Scored His 700th NHL Goal on Saturday—and Then He Fell Flat in an Encore on Sunday

By

Dave Caldwell

March 2, 2014 8:11 p.m. ET

NEWARK, N.J.—Jaromir Jagr brusquely turned down a request for an interview after the Devils lost Sunday to the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, then blurted out a profanity as he stomped out of the dressing room. What a difference a day makes.

ENLARGE

Jaromir Jagr was on the ice for the three Sharks goals on Sunday.
Getty Images

Jagr, 42 years old, scored the 700th goal of his illustrious NHL career in a 6-1 victory Saturday over the Islanders, and he said playfully afterward that he might just stick around long enough to join Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe as the only players who scored 800.

Sunday was another story. Jagr took two shots on goal that were stopped, missed the net completely on two more and was on the ice for the last three San Jose goals as the Devils coughed up a 2-1 lead and lost a chance to inch up the standings.

"Sometimes a good team comes in and just beats you," said Peter DeBoer, the Devils' coach. "We didn't lay down. We didn't not show up. I think we did a lot of good things against a very good team."

The next 72 hours should be really interesting for the Devils (26-23-13), who remained three points behind Detroit (28-20-12) in the race for the conference's second wild-card playoff berth. The Devils' next two games are, after all, against the Red Wings.

SJ 4

NJD 2

But the Devils might look like another team by 3 p.m. Wednesday, the NHL's trading deadline. It is possible—practically unimaginable, but possible—that the Devils could trade away graybeards Jagr and 41-year-old goaltender Martin Brodeur, who is now firmly a backup.

A day after leading the Devils past the nothing-to-play-for Islanders, Brodeur pulled on a black baseball cap and rode the bench Sunday for the important game against the Sharks (39-17-6). Cory Schneider tended goal for the Devils for the eighth time in nine games.

"I don't know him as well as other guys do who've been around for a long time," Schneider said of Brodeur, "but he seems his normal, laid-back self."

The starting job appears to be Schneider's to lose, and Brodeur has said recently that he'd like to play more, which would mean agreeing to a trade. But would he play more for another contender? Would Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello make a deal if he got little in return?

There isn't an insurance policy better than Brodeur, who has won a record 683 games, a record 124 by shutout, and three Stanley Cups. Schneider was flimsy Sunday, turning over a puck that led to the Sharks' first goal. He made saves on just 18 of 22 shots.

"I just didn't make enough of them tonight," Schneider said.

And what would Jagr fetch on the market? He has been spectacular in his first season with the Devils, leading the team with 19 goals and 33 assists. But, like Brodeur, he has no contract for next season. He said Saturday he would probably need to approve a trade, anyway.

The Devils could squeeze into the playoffs without Brodeur, but not without Jagr. They haven't won three games in a row since November, and a day after pounding four power-play goals past the Islanders, they went 0 for 4 against San Jose.

An errant backhand pass by Devils defenseman Andy Greene late in the second period led to the Sharks' tying goal, scored by Raffi Torres on a two-on-one rush. DeBoer said the Sharks made turnovers, too, but the Devils have much less room for error.

"Can't make those mental errors when you've got so many points on the line," said Ryane Clowe, the Devils' veteran forward, speaking of the team's effort in general.

The Devils still have hope—unlike the John Tavares-less Islanders, who also frittered away a lead Sunday and lost to lowly Florida. What unfolds this week, on the ice and over Lamoriello's cellphone, will tell the story.

"You've got to have a short-term memory at this time of the year," DeBoer said.

Schneider said cheerfully of the Sharks, "I'm sure we'll be seeing them later this year in the playoffs." The only way that would happen is if the two teams would meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. But the Sharks are much more capable than the Devils—with or without their two old guys.

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